After facing criticism over his weight and recovering from his injury woes, Zion Williamson needed a game that put him back on the map. The recent matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers provided the player with the opportunity he was seeking. Though the Lakers won the matchup by a 136-115 score, the Pelicans’ power forward kept occasionally shocking the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena with his offensive prowess. His performance was enough for even JJ Redick to consider the 24-year-old a threat.
The Lakers’ head coach participated in a presser after the recent game. When asked about the thing that stood out to him about tonight, Redick replied that every game was different, since it brings its own set of problems. Zion was the problem in this game for the head coach. Redick revealed that the Lakers had been finding success over the last few games by sticking to game plans. If adjustments had to be made to account for certain players, they were made. However, the same strategy did not work against the Pelicans’ power forward.
“You know, we made three different adjustments on him. Didn’t work. He was that good tonight,” said Redick. Despite this trouble, the head coach also highlighted that “We didn’t get discouraged. Didn’t allow us to get offensively. It didn’t take us out of our execution. We stayed very connected. Even with some turnovers, I just thought our approach to the game was really good tonight”.
During his 26 minutes on the court, Zion Williamson recorded 37 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. This was the highest points score he had recorded since the Sacramento Kings matchup in early February. The player became a beast on the field goal front, making 17-23 (73.9%) field goals to make up for his 0 three-pointer attempts. From making a powerful dunk over Trey Jemison III to scoring 15 of his points in the first half itself, the player showed just what a member of the visiting team should do to silence the crowd. With a plus/minus of +13, the recent game may have been one of the player’s best nights of the season, despite the loss.
If Zion Williamson had to suffer the loss even after his monstrous performance, it was because of JJ Redick’s strategy. The Lakers squad did not choose to get upset or frustrated that they were being bested. Even as the Pelicans performed better in the 2nd quarter, LeBron James and co held their own. The NBA All-Time Scorer dropped 34 points, while Luka Doncic made 30 points. This gave the team the edge against the determined Zion Williamson. Not giving up allowed the Lakers to continue their win streak and maintain their position as the 2nd seed on the Western Conference points table.
Credit: Imagn
It’s the strategy that JJ Redick implemented against the Pelicans and will now mostly use over the course of the upcoming games. It was just one lesson that the head coach learned after the recent game. Another would be not to underestimate the Pelicans star as he had previously.
JJ Redick once criticized Zion Williamson for having “not bought into his own career.”
Longtime NBA fans might remember the New Orleans Pelicans’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023 NBA Cup. They might also remember that Zion Williamson did not come out as the most impressive player in that game. He was quite far from it, having scored only 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers on 6-of-8 shooting. His game time was limited to just 25 minutes. The Lakers took advantage of this to turn the tide in their favor in the third quarter. Williamson’s performance did not win him any love from JJ Redick, who served as an ESPN analyst during that NBA Cup Series.
“Overall, I’ve been disappointed in Zion this season,” said Redick. “He’s not in shape. He’s still not in shape despite everything he’s gone through. Despite numerous conversations with legends of the game about being in shape. He gets called out on national television once or twice a year for this very thing”. Redick also went as far as to insinuate that Williamson does not take his profession seriously.
According to him, “Zion Williamson has not bought into his own career. And that is disappointing because as someone who’s a fan of his, a former teammate, a fellow Duke, I know and we all know how great he can be”.
“The reality is Zion Williamson has not bought in to his own career yet.”
— JJ Redick on Zion pic.twitter.com/0kqqhm8IG5
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 8, 2023
Well, JJ Redick just saw another flash of greatness come out from his former teammate. It may not have been enough to best the head coach this time, but no one can speak to what the future holds. Therefore, when it comes to Zion Williamson, Redick should continue staying on his guard.
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